The official Twitter handle of Air India Express tweeted that all visitors should be fully vaccinated as per the approved primary schedule for vaccination against COVID-19 in their home country. At the same time, children below 12 years of age are exempted from random Covid test.
Air India Express on Tuesday issued guidelines to promote COVID-appropriate behavior for passengers arriving in India from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The guidance advised that all visitors should be fully immunized against COVID-19 in their home country as per the approved primary schedule of vaccination. Other precautions to be taken while traveling include the use of masks and physical distancing.
Fully vaccinated for visitors
The official Twitter handle of Air India Express tweeted that all visitors should be fully vaccinated as per the approved primary schedule for vaccination against COVID-19 in their home country. Everyone should use masks and follow physical distancing during flights or travel and at all points of entry. The guidelines state that random post-arrival testing is not required for children below the age of 12 years.
Children below 12 years are exempted from random Covid test
As per protocol, children will only undergo testing and receive treatment if they are found to be symptomatic for COVID-19 upon arrival or during self-monitoring. The advisory issued by Air India Express states that children below 12 years of age are exempted from the random Covid test upon arrival. However, if they are found to be symptomatic for COVID-19 upon arrival or during the period of self-monitoring, they will be tested and treated as per protocol.
Air India Express is headquartered in Kochi, Kerala. It is notably India’s first international budget carrier, providing connectivity to the Middle East and South East Asia. It is operated by Air India Express Limited, a wholly owned division of Air India, the national carrier of India.
Random test for international passengers implemented in the country from December 24
The Union Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) said on Thursday that some passengers arriving by international flights would be randomly tested from Saturday (December 24). Apart from this, random test of at least two percent of the total passengers of the flight will also be done. The Ministry of Aviation said in an official statement that the airlines company will decide which passengers will undergo the corona test. Passengers traveling from different countries will also be included in the testing. According to the advisory, samples of these passengers will be taken and they will be allowed to leave the airport. The statement said that after a random test, if any passenger is found to be Covid infected, their samples will be sent for genome sequencing. According to the statement, this arrangement for international passengers has been implemented from 10 am on December 24.
In the Lok Sabha last week, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya had said that amid the recent spurt of coronavirus infection in various countries, including China, Japan, South Korea, France and the US, the government has decided to conduct random RT tests among passengers arriving at the country’s international airports. PCR sampling has been started. Meanwhile, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare also issued ‘Guidelines for International Arrivals’ in view of the COVID-19 pandemic and said that the guidelines will be reviewed and amended from time to time.
